(trad. arr. Shirley Collins)

 

Robin Hood and Little John
They both are gone to fair-O
And we will to the greenwood
To see what they do there-O
And for to chase-O
To chase the buck and doe

Chorus (after each verse):

Hal-an-tow, jolly rumbalow
For we are up as soon as any day-O
For to fetch the summer home
The summer and the May-O
For summer is a-coming in
And winter is a-gone

 

Where are the Spaniards
That made so great a boast-O?
Why they shall eat the goose feather
And we shall eat the roast-O
In every land-O
The land where'er we go

And as for our good knight St. George
St. George he was a knight-O
Of all the knights in Christendom
St. George he is the right-O
In every land-O
The land where'er we go

God bless our merry Moses
And all that power and might-O
And send us peace in England
Send peace by day and night-O
In merry England
Both now and evermore

 

Sung as a part of the May celebration in Helston, Cornwall.

Hal-an-Tow is an ancient ritual song, well known perhaps because of The Oysterband version. I learned mine from a 1951 field recording, again from the BBC archives. Does it mean “heel-and-toe“ as part of the dance? I'm not sure—I like the mystery of words that have been unconsciously altered and made strange in the process of being handed down by word of mouth over the centuries. Nobody really knows precisely what they mean, there's an echo there of things past, which is a great part of their charm.

 

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